The mother of Jada West has spoken out after her 12-year-old daughter died following a fight with another child after getting off the school bus. Villa Rica police are looking at cellphone video of the incident to determine if charges have to be filed.
“She was loving, she was kind, she didn’t deserve this,” said West’s mother, Rashunda McClendon.
McClendon told Channel 2’s Tom Jones that her daughter, a Mason Creek Middle School student, should still be here.
“It’s gotta stop. It must stop. Violence has to stop,” she said.
McLendon said she is still trying to come to grips with the loss of her only child.
"I don't understand," McLendon said, as reported by Fox 5 Atlanta.
The Georgia student's mother revealed that the child had just started school at Mason Creek and had to deal with bullying since the beginning.
West allegedly got into an argument on the school bus on March 5, which escalated into a physical fight near her home. One of West's friends ran to her home and informed her mother, who then rushed to the scene.
{{/usCountry}}West allegedly got into an argument on the school bus on March 5, which escalated into a physical fight near her home. One of West's friends ran to her home and informed her mother, who then rushed to the scene.
{{/usCountry}}"And she was on the ground," a heartbroken McLendon recalled. "She wasn't breathing.”
A girl on the scene told McLendon that West had hit her first.
West was transferred from Tanner Medical Center to the Children's Hospital Scottish Rite, where she lost her life. Her family is now waiting for autopsy results.
"I'm angry. We have to teach our children. I'm angry. What happened to the love? We lost our love, people. Teach your children to love," McLendon said.
It remains unclear what led to the fight.
The family has also questioned why the other girl was permitted to board the school bus, as she reportedly does not live in the neighborhood or get off at the bus stop where the fight occurred.
What happened to Jada Smith?
Videos that have surfaced on social media show West fighting with another student. The Villa Rica Police Department is handling the investigation.
The Mason Creek Middle School student got off the bus near her home. Cellphone video appears to show her beefing with another group of children.
West then starts fighting with another girl. West seemed to take a hard fall, following which she started to lose consciousness.
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West suffered from cardiac heart failure and died the next day.
“Nobody tried to stop it. No one tried to call the police and stop it,” her mother said.
West's family claimed that she was new to the area and had disputes with a boy and a girl. However, they do not know what triggered the fight.
West’s family is now calling for justice, claiming she was being bullied.
“And it’s not right that this little girl and the other kids get to go to school. My niece is not here anymore. My niece was in the hospital with a tube in her throat," her aunt Dequala McClendon said, according to WSB-TV Atlanta.
Villa Rica police said that they will forward their results to the district attorney for review.